Syria Crisis: Work Report 5

The suffering of civilians in Syria deteriorates while the crisis continues with heavy fighting. Without adequate shelter, food and medical care, hundreds of thousands of Syrians are now heavily relying on aid agencies to provide basic amenities. The conditions are expected to get worse when it comes to winter in December, as most of the displaced people stumbled out of their homes with just the clothes they were wearing during the summer.

Accommodated in refugee camps in the neighboring countries, refugees are still facing dire needs of food, daily household items as well as basic hygiene and medical services. Other refugees live with host families outside of the camps. Most of the host communities, of which resources are already limited, are under tremendous strain receiving the vast number of refugees.

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Actions

The International Red Cross is seeking for a total of HK$2 billion globally to assist the internally displaced residents in Syria as well as the Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. To date, the assistance has already reached at least 2.8 million people. That includes food and non-food assistance, medical and health service, water and sanitation, as well as psycho-social and tracing services.

The following actions have been completed as of September 2013:

Syria Arab Red Crescent

Provision of food to 2.5 million people per month, plus household kits (mattresses, blankets, kitchen sets, hygiene kits, candles, etc.) for more than 700,000 people;

Deliver water by truck to 135,000 people, and support water treatment supplies to ensure safe drinking water across the country (approx. 20 million people).

Turkish Red Crescent Society

Provided food, household items, shelter and sanitation to 115,000 people in camps;

Provided food and non-food support to 20,000 people waiting at the Syrian/Turkish border.

Lebanon Red Cross Society

Distributed food parcels and hygiene kits to more than 25,000 refugees in and outside the camps

Jordanian Red Crescent Society

Supplies food and basic hygiene items to some 58,000 Syrian refugees hosted by local communities;

Provided safe water and hygiene items for over 100,000 Syrian refugees crossing the north-eastern Jordanian border;

Helped over 24,000 Syrian refugees maintain contact with other family members inside Syria and elsewhere by making international telephone calls available free of charge.

Iraqi Red Crescent Society

Provided food, essential household items and hygiene kits to more than 2,000 Syrian refugees living outside the camps

In addition, the concerned RCRC societies have been conducting ongoing emergency operations, including:

Conducting psycho-social and health care activities for children and their families;

Prepositioning contingency stocks for further distribution in camps;

Assisting refugee families with the cash program to cover rental costs and purchase of most essential household items.

Hong Kong Red Cross Action

Since 2012, HKRC has mobilized around HK$840,000to provide 9,000 blankets and 112 sets of household kit (including tarpaulins, soap, jerry can and kitchen set) to the displaced people in Syria through the International Red Cross.